Chapter 5

Suddenly, he stepped on something hard.

Hui Jiang stopped and shined his phone's flashlight on it.

A sharp blade reflected a cold gleam.

It was actually a scalpel.

He looked around.

The corridor was completely empty.

There was no one there anymore.

Then this scalpel...

A sense of unease rose in his chest, and beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.

Don't overthink it.

Maybe some student dropped it.

He hurriedly comforted himself.

"Boom!"

A silver-white bolt of lightning split across the sky, tearing the dark night into pieces.

For a brief instant, the entire anatomy building was illuminated.

It allowed him to clearly see the name engraved on the handle:

Mu Nan Zhi.

Mu Nan Zhi?

The thunder startled Hui Jiang, making him shudder.

The wind grew stronger and stronger.

Pulling his sleeves tighter around himself, he muttered inwardly.

Please don't be this unlucky.

Don't let it start raining now.

He bent down and reached out.

Just as his fingers wrapped around the scalpel's handle, a cold mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside his head.

【Collected Mu Nan Zhi's scalpel ×1. Reward: 1 Gentleman Point, ¥1,000.】

"System?"

Hui Jiang instantly remembered the Gentleman System that had bound itself to him several days ago.

【What instructions does the host have?】

Hui Jiang froze.

Ever since the binding was completed that day, he had never heard the system's voice again.

This was actually his first conversation with it.

【That is because the host has not been completing missions.】

The system had obviously heard his thoughts and immediately defended itself.

Adjusting his glasses, Hui Jiang tightened his grip on the scalpel.

I just picked up this scalpel. Why am I getting a reward?

【System judgment. Unable to answer.】

Then... is the one thousand yuan reward actual RMB?

Where did you put the money?

Hui Jiang touched his flat backpack.

There was no extra cash inside.

【The reward has already been transferred into the host's personal bank card. Please verify it yourself.】

That's pretty advanced.

Hui Jiang couldn't help being impressed.

Seeing that nobody was around, he decided—for the sake of that one thousand yuan reward—to put the scalpel into his backpack first.

After returning to the dormitory, he would study this Gentleman System properly.

If his guess was correct, he might be able to use this system to make money in the future.

The system remained silent.

After confirming that Hui Jiang had no further questions, it disappeared once more.

However, neither of them noticed that Mu Nan Zhi, who should have left long ago, was currently standing in a blind spot beneath the staircase.

Without making a sound, he watched the young man upstairs.

The position was chosen skillfully enough that nobody could discover his presence.

Mu Nan Zhi pressed his lips together slightly.

His expression alternated between light and shadow.

Back in the anatomy lab, he had already felt someone watching him.

At the time, he hadn't paid much attention to it.

But after going downstairs, he discovered that he had dropped something.

Left with no choice, he returned to look for it.

Only to witness this scene.

As a medical student who spent year after year inside the anatomy building, Mu Nan Zhi knew the structure of the place like the back of his hand.

He had always been brave.

He often walked through the building alone.

After enough time, he could even navigate it without a flashlight.

He was at least a hundred times bolder than that coward Hui Jiang.

Yet despite usually possessing a strong mentality, he had now fallen into deep thought.

Mu Nan Zhi desperately searched through his memories, trying to find even the slightest piece of information related to the other person.

Less than three seconds later, he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Clearly, he had failed.

Who exactly is this guy?

Silent lightning flashed across the sky.

For an instant, it illuminated half of his exquisite face before disappearing again.

Rolling thunder followed immediately afterward.

Mu Nan Zhi slightly turned his head and glanced toward the weather outside.

Then he heard footsteps coming from upstairs.

It can't actually rain, can it?

I didn't bring an umbrella.

Hui Jiang hurried downstairs.

The motion-sensor lights in the stairwell were broken, so he could only use his phone's flashlight for illumination.

However, when passing the second floor, his footsteps suddenly slowed.

Uncontrollably, he looked toward the pitch-black corridor.

It was completely dark.

Nothing could be seen.

Yet he vaguely felt that something was there.

Hui Jiang's face instantly became paler.

Swallowing hard, he hurried downstairs in panic.

"Huh?"

However, after reaching the first floor, he discovered that the stainless-steel security gate at the exit had been locked.

Clank. Clank.

He shoved it hard twice.

The gate did not move at all.

It was clearly locked shut.

What am I supposed to do now?!

He secretly glanced behind him.

Nothing suspicious was visible.

Yet the unease inside him only intensified.

Damn it.

Who was the idiot that locked this gate?!

Left with no alternative, he used his phone to send WeChat messages to his roommates.

Unfortunately, even after several minutes, nobody replied.

Don't tell me those guys are already asleep?

Hui Jiang felt a wave of despair.

At this hour, even the campus security guards who patrolled the buildings had gone off duty.

If he couldn't find a way out, would he really have to stay here all night?

Absolutely not!

He never should have come here tonight.

How did I get possessed enough to do this...

No.

Don't say possessed.

Don't even think about it.

Annoyed, Hui Jiang tugged at his own hair.

He decided that, if necessary, he would jump out from the second floor.

No matter what, he was not spending an entire night inside the anatomy building.

After hesitating for several seconds, Hui Jiang turned around and went back up to the second floor.

Like most academic buildings, the anatomy building had multiple stairwells.

There were staircases on the south side, north side, and center.

Upon reaching the second floor, he leaned over the railing and looked down, estimating the distance to the ground.

A little too high.

Jumping recklessly would most likely result in a sprained ankle.

After some hesitation, he decided to try his luck at another staircase.

Maybe one of the other gates wasn't locked.

It's just...

Hui Jiang frowned and turned to look down the corridor leading north.

Nearly all the motion-sensor lights on the second floor were malfunctioning.

Without artificial lighting, the entire corridor was incredibly dim.

Combined with the bizarre weather outside, it looked ready-made for a horror movie set.

Hui Jiang quickly looked away.

Suppressing the fear in his heart, he lifted his leg and headed toward the central staircase.

This is the twenty-first century.

Believe in science.

There are no ghosts.

He had barely finished encouraging himself when he accidentally noticed a dark figure inside a classroom.

"Fuck!"

He jumped backward in fright.

The strange thing was pressed silently against the glass.

It vaguely resembled a human-shaped silhouette.

Hui Jiang did not possess even the slightest courage to investigate what it was.

His limbs turned cold.

His hair practically stood on end.

Adrenaline instantly surged to its peak.

His mind contained only one thought:

Survive.

Hidden behind him, Mu Nan Zhi watched as Hui Jiang fled downstairs in a blur.

He runs really fast...

Mu Nan Zhi stood there blankly for two seconds before realizing what had happened.

Curious, he walked toward the window.

The night wind scattered the clouds, allowing a beam of moonlight to shine through.

The light illuminated the anatomical human model standing inside the classroom.

Heh.

He was actually scared that badly by this thing...

The corners of the young man's lips curved upward slightly.

The naturally upturned corners of his eyes became even more alluring.

He chuckled softly.

Without realizing it, he quickened his pace and followed the other man downstairs.

"Hah..."

Hui Jiang leaned against a wall, breathing heavily.

Fortunately, the central staircase wasn't locked.

He pushed open the gate and hurried outside with his heart still pounding.

Even if someone beat him to death, he would never come back to this place again.

Just what the hell was that thing?

His face was pale from fright.

Only after reaching the campus road did he secretly look back.

And that single glance allowed him to see Mu Nan Zhi emerging from the anatomy building.

The two of them were separated by roughly eight or nine meters.

“You have one!” A shadow.

For a moment, Hui River almost cried with joy.

He had a shadow!

There was a shadow under his feet!

That meant he was human.

Mu Nan Zhi paused for a moment. Looking at the boy’s shocked expression, he thought he had misheard and asked politely, “I have what?”

“A shadow!” Hui River pointed at the ground.

The rain was too heavy, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement.

Mu Nan Zhi looked down.

The lightning had just flashed past. The streetlamp behind him projected a faint shadow onto the wet ground.

His expression became a little strange.

Hui River, meanwhile, felt as though he had survived a disaster. The fear that had been choking him all the way finally eased.

Thank goodness.

Not a ghost.

He had nearly scared himself to death.

The rain poured down noisily.

Mu Nan Zhi looked at the boy standing in the rain and frowned slightly. “You ran out just to look at my shadow?”

“Uh...” Hui River was instantly embarrassed.

Of course he couldn’t tell the truth.

Could he really say that he had mistaken him for some dirty supernatural thing?

That would be too awkward.

“No,” Hui River denied dryly. “I was just... checking whether there was water on the ground.”

Mu Nan Zhi looked at the waterlogged pavement.

The silence lasted two seconds.

Neither of them believed that excuse.

Hui River’s face burned.

Too embarrassing.

The rain drenched his hair. Water trickled down from his bangs, and his glasses were covered in droplets.

Mu Nan Zhi silently looked at him.

This person was really strange.

First he secretly peeked at him in the anatomy lab.

Then he picked up his scalpel.

Later he stared at him while he was bathing.

Now he was looking at his shadow in the middle of the night.

No matter how he thought about it, it all felt abnormal.

“Forget it,” Mu Nan Zhi said softly. “Come over here.”

“Huh?”

“The rain is too heavy.”

Only then did Hui River realize he was still standing in the downpour.

The rain soaked through his clothes.

His white T-shirt clung tightly to his body.

Even his sneakers were filled with water.

A gust of cold wind blew past.

“Ah-choo!”

Hui River sneezed.

Mu Nan Zhi’s brows furrowed even tighter.

The two stood facing each other in the rain.

One held an umbrella.

The other looked like a drowned rat.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Hui River finally walked back.

The umbrella was large.

The moment he stepped underneath it, the pounding rain instantly became distant.

The two stood very close.

Hui River could even smell the faint scent on Mu Nan Zhi’s body.

It was clean.

A cool fragrance mixed with moisture.

Very pleasant.

“Thank you,” Hui River said awkwardly.

“You’re welcome.”

The atmosphere became strangely quiet.

The sound of rain filled the space between them.

Hui River lowered his head and stared at the ground.

Mu Nan Zhi glanced at him.

His wet black hair drooped over his forehead.

The glasses were covered in water droplets.

He looked somewhat pitiful.

“Where are you going?”

“The dormitory.”

Mu Nan Zhi nodded.

“I’m going there too.”

Hui River was stunned.

Then he remembered.

The medical school dormitories and the Civil Engineering dormitories seemed to be in the same area.

So they really were heading in the same direction.

“Then... shall we walk together?”

“Okay.”

The two stepped out from beneath the entrance canopy.

The black umbrella tilted slightly.

The rain continued to pour.

Their shadows merged together beneath the dim streetlights.